Qualities of an Emotionally Intelligent Leader
The emotional intelligence quotient is the ability to understand emotions whether your own or that of others. It’s crucial to be emotionally bulletproof so that you can ride the waves of life elegantly and with the right attitude.
Emotions guide us to take action whether we realize this or not. To feel your feelings is completely human but just don’t let your feelings rule you. When we feel overwhelmed, we subconsciously if not purposely resort to ways that influence our surroundings negatively. In order to be fair and do justice to people or projects, ideas, or anything else, we need to be balanced and grounded.
Spiral of Emotions!
When it comes to leading yourself or others, it’s important to do what is right and not be ruled or governed by your emotional state. Life never goes as planned, there are various curveballs thrown our way. What is important is we keep our emotions healthy, which is not always easy but trust me it has magical effects when you prioritize your emotional health and keep yourself composed.
Remember, the only person capable to lead others is the one who can lead themselves.
The qualities of an emotionally intelligent leader are:
- Self-aware. Spend time to know yourself better. Learn where and how you perform best. Also, study what triggers you and why? Work on your healing and self-care, so that you can do justice with yourself and offer your best self to others too. When we heal our wounds, we don’t feel the need to belittle others constantly, we start responding with kindness, empathy, and grace towards others.
- Empathy. Empathy is a term we use for the ability to understand other people’s feelings as if we were experiencing them ourselves. Sympathy refers to the ability to take part in someone else’s feelings, like by feeling sorrowful about their misfortune or by being happy for their success. Be empathetic, not sympathetic, this will help you understand the other person’s perspective and help you find a dignified way of dealing with them. Empathy means digging deeper into the lives of others and not just responding based on superficial stuff and happenings. This enables you to choose justice over judgement.
- Authentic. Being authentic is the most attractive quality of an individual. Creating transparent working conditions builds trust. The sincerity and integrity of the individual are reflected at a core level. No other quality can outshine integrity, no matter how hard you try. This helps you form cohesive connections.
- Soft Skills. Character traits and interpersonal skills form the foundation of sustainable development. Never forget soft skills hold strong relationships. Soft skills help you gracefully navigate through the difference of opinions and learn the depth of interpersonal skills.
- Flexibility. If you are flexible enough to understand that every individual is different and you can hold space for the other individual to process their emotions and give them the gift of understanding without judgement with an open heart and mind, you can truly make a difference. Also, having an open mind and heart will let you welcome and accept others just the way they are without forcing them to be someone else by manipulating them.
- Self-Regulation. Leaders who regulate themselves effectively, rarely manipulate others or act biased, make rushed decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Their self-assuredness doesn’t make them feel the need to belittle others. They regulate their emotions and respond gracefully. Such people admit when they make a mistake and face the consequences rather than hiding behind false masks and blaming others in the process, which earns them respect and trust.
- Patience and Positive Attitude. Patience is required to achieve anything great and positive attitude is the antidote to crisis. When we focus on the positive, we gain enthusiasm, which helps us fight against negativity and gives us hope for something greater. It builds momentum during the hard phase of life and keeps us on track.
- Avoid the trap of “Superiority Complex!”
When life blesses you, be grateful instead of downsizing others or feeling superior. Just like difficulties test a person’s character so does being abundant. We often miss realizing that being abundant is also a test. With greater blessings come greater responsibilities.
Remember, life does not come with a rule book. The only rule that matters is to live with integrity under all circumstances. How we respond to any situation is a personal choice and it reflects either our wounds or wisdom. Almost all situations are testing moments and our choices reveal whether we are a person of character or not.
